    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 25, 2004]
    [Pages 2698-2705]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Greeley, Colorado
    October 25, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming today. Laura and I are so honored so many came out to say hello. You
    have lifted our spirits. Thank you for being here. It's great to be here
    in Greeley, Colorado. You know, I am told the last sitting President to
    visit Greeley was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who came right before he won
    his second term. With your help, history will be repeated.

    [[Page 2699]]

        And that's what we are here to do; we're here to ask for your help.
    We'd like you to get your friends and neighbors to go to the polls.
    Remind them we have a duty in our democracy to vote. When you get them
    headed to the polls, tell them if they want a safer America, a stronger
    America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
        So Laura and I were in the seventh grade
    together in west Texas. And then we became reacquainted when she--she
    was a public school librarian at the time. I asked her to marry me. She
    said, ``Fine, but make me one promise.'' I said, ``What is that?'' She
    said, ``Promise me I'll never have to give a political speech.''
    [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you've got a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't
    hold me to that promise. She's given a lot of speeches, and when she
    does, the American people see a strong, compassionate, great First Lady.
        I am proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney.
    Look, I readily concede that he does not have the waviest hair in the
    race. [Laughter] But you'll be pleased to know I didn't pick him because
    of his hairdo. I picked him because of his judgment, his experience.
    He's getting the job done for the American people.
        You know, Laura, and I were able to welcome
    the Giulianis to our ranch in Crawford, Texas, last night. We know him
    more--I know him better than I knew him as mayor. I know him as a
    person, a compassionate, strong leader. I am proud to have
    Rudy and Judith Giuliani traveling with us. I'm proud to have your support, Mr.
    Mayor. And I appreciate your great service to our country.
        And like the mayor, I recognize that you've got a great Governor in
    Governor Bill Owens, I want to thank his wife,
    Frances, and daughter, Monica, and son, Brett, for being with
    us today.
        I want to thank Senator Wayne Allard for
    his great service to the State of Colorado, and his wife, Joan, is with us today. I'm proud to stand with the next
    Senator from Colorado, Pete Coors. I appreciate
    Marilyn being here. And when he wins, he'll be
    taking the place of a fine man in Senator Ben Nighthorse
    Campbell. And I know you're proud of
    the Congresswoman from this district, Marilyn Musgrave. We're proud you're here, Marilyn. I appreciate
    Steve being here.
        I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor.
    I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. I
    appreciate Congressman Bob Schaffer for being
    here. Congressman, I appreciate working together to make sure this party
    stays united coming down the stretch.
        I want to thank Mark Wills, the country and
    western singer who is here. He likes to sing in a part of the world
    where the cowboy hats outnumber the ties. I want to thank Kenny
    Cordova & The Olde Rock Band. I'm proud to be
    up here with a man who can hit that baseball in Todd Helton. We got to know him a little while back; we had he and
    his wife to the White House for dinner. And
    he can sure play. [Laughter]
        I want to thank those who wear the uniform who are with us here
    today. Thank you for your service. I want to thank the veterans who are
    here today for having set such a great example. I want to thank the
    military families who are here today for your sacrifice.
        But most of all, I want to thank the rest of you for coming. I
    appreciate what you have done on behalf of our campaign and what you're
    going to do. Keep putting up the signs, making the phone calls, turning
    out the vote, and we're going to win a great victory on November the 2d.
        We're coming down the stretch in the last week of this campaign. I
    will continue to talk about my vision for a more hopeful America. I am
    committed to low taxes, spending discipline. I'm committed to a sound
    energy policy that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        In a new term, we'll continue to work to make sure our farmers and
    ranchers can

    [[Page 2700]]

    make a decent living. In a new term, we'll continue to work to make sure
    the entrepreneurial spirit in America is strong so small businesses can
    thrive and succeed. In a new term, we'll stay on the path of reform and
    results in our schools so no child is left behind in America. In a new
    term, we'll make sure health care is more affordable and accessible for
    all our families and small businesses. In a new term, we'll keep the
    promise of Social Security for our seniors and strengthen the system for
    our children and our grandchildren. We will protect marriage and family,
    which are the foundations of our society. And I'll name judges who know
    the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of
    the law.
        And all the progress we hope to make depends on the security of our
    Nation. We face enemies who hate our country and would do anything to
    harm us. I'll fight these enemies with every asset of our national
    power, and we will do our duty and protect the American people.
        In the last 4 years, we've been through a lot of history. We saw a
    ruthless, sneak attack on the United States. We learned of heroism on
    doomed airplanes. We saw the bravery of rescuers running toward danger.
    We've seen our military bring freedom to the oppressed and justice to
    our enemies. Our Nation has shown our character to the world. We are
    proud to be Americans.
        Now we are nearing the first Presidential election since September
    the 11th, 2001. The people of the United States will choose the leader
    of the free world in the middle of a global war. The choice is not only
    between two candidates; it is between two directions in the conduct of
    the war on terror. Will America return to the defensive, reactive
    mindset that sought to manage the dangers to our country?
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Or will we fight a real war with the goal of victory?
        In every critical aspect, in every critical respect, my
    opponent and I see the war on terror
    differently, and the Americans need to consider these differences as
    they make a vital choice. First, I believe that America wins wars by
    fighting on the offensive. When I saw those images of the fire and death
    on September the 11th, I made a decision: Our country will not sit back
    and wait for future attacks; we will prevent those attacks by going
    after the enemy.
        We are waging a global campaign from the mountains of central Asia
    to the deserts of the Middle East, from the Horn of Africa to the
    Philippines. And those efforts are succeeding. Since September the 11th,
    2001, more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates
    have been brought to justice, and the rest of them know we're on their
    trail.
        After September the 11th, we set a new direction for American policy
    and enforced a doctrine that is clear to all: ``If you supported or
    harbored terrorists, you are equally guilty of terrorist murder.'' We
    destroyed the terror camps that trained thousands of killers in
    Afghanistan. We removed the Taliban from power. We have persuaded
    Governments in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to recognize the enemy and to
    join the fight. We ended the regime of Saddam Hussein, which sponsored terror. America and the world are
    safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell. We sent a clear
    message to Libya, which has now given up its weapons of mass destruction
    programs. We have acted through diplomacy and force to shrink the area
    where the terrorists can freely operate. And that strategy has the
    terrorists on the run.
        My opponent has a different view.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He says that fighting
    terrorists in the Middle East, America has, quote, ``created terrorists
    where they did not exist,'' end quote.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. This is his argument, that
    terrorists are somehow less dangerous or

    [[Page 2701]]

    fewer in number if America avoids provoking them.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. But this represents a fundamental misunderstanding of
    the enemy. We are dealing with killers who have made the death of
    Americans the calling of their lives. If America were not fighting these
    killers west of Baghdad and in the mountains of Afghanistan and
    elsewhere, what does Senator Kerry think they
    would do? Would they be living productive lives of service and charity?
    [Laughter] Would the terrorists who behead innocent people on camera
    just be quiet, peaceful citizens if we had not liberated Iraq?
        Audience members. No-o-o!
        The President. We are fighting these terrorists with our military in
    Afghanistan and Iraq and beyond so we do not have to face them in the
    streets of our own cities.
        America is not to blame for terrorist hatred, and no retreat by
    America would appease them. We don't create terrorists by fighting them.
    We defeat the terrorists by fighting them.
        Our second big difference concerns Iraq. Victory in Iraq is
    essential to victory in the war on terror. We have a strategy to achieve
    that victory. The stakes in that country are high. If a terror regime
    were allowed to reemerge in Iraq, terrorists would again find a home, a
    source of funding, and vital support; they would correctly conclude that
    free nations do not have the will to defend themselves.
        As Iraq succeeds as a free society in the heart of the Middle East,
    an ally in the war on terror, and a model of hopeful reform in a
    troubled region, the terrorists will suffer a crushing defeat, and every
    free nation will be more secure.
        We are still confronting serious violence from determined enemies.
    Yet, the Iraqi Interim Government, with American and coalition support,
    is making progress week by week. Along with Iraqi forces, we're on the
    offensive in Fallujah, north Babil. We've restored Government control in
    Samarra, Tall `Afar, and Najaf. More than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers,
    police, and border guards are already trained, equipped, and bravely
    serving their country. More than 200,000 will be in place by the end of
    next year. An Iraqi independent electoral commission is up and running.
    Political parties are planning campaigns. A free and fair Iraq elections
    will be held on schedule this January.
        The desperate executions of unarmed Iraqi security forces show the
    evil nature of the terrorists we fight. It proves these terrorists are
    enemies of the Iraqi people and the American people and everyone who
    loves freedom. The terrorist insurgents hate our progress, and they
    fight our progress, but they will not stop our progress. We will stay on
    the offense against these terrorists, and we will prevail. We will help
    the Iraqis get on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as
    possible, and then our troops will return home with the honor they have
    earned.
        My opponent has a different view.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. The Senator calls America's
    missions in Iraq a ``mistake,'' a ``diversion,'' a ``colossal error.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And then he says he's the
    right man to win the war?
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. You cannot win a war you do not believe in fighting.
        On Iraq, my opponent has a strategy of
    pessimism and retreat.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He's talked about
    artificial timetables to pull our troops out. He has sent the signal
    that America's overriding goal in Iraq would be to leave, even if the
    job is not done.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That sends the wrong message. It sends the wrong
    message to Iraqis who need to know that America will not cut and run.
    That sends the wrong message to the troops of our coalition who

    [[Page 2702]]

    need to know that we will honor their sacrifice by completing the
    mission. My opponent has the wrong strategy
    for the wrong country at the wrong time.
        On this vital front of the war on terror, protest is not a policy,
    retreat is not a strategy, and failure is not an option. As long as I'm
    the Commander in Chief, America will never retreat in the face of the
    terrorists.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Third, American leadership is indispensable to
    winning the war on terror. Ever since September the 11th, 2001, America
    has sounded a certain trumpet. We've stated clearly the challenge to
    civilization. We've rallied many nations to oppose it. More than 90
    nations are actively engaged in the war on terror. All 26 nations of
    NATO have personnel in either Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. NATO has taken
    leadership of an international force in Afghanistan, the first out-of-
    area deployment in the history of our Alliance. Japan has deployed
    forces in Iraq, the first overseas mission in the history of their
    democracy. Forces from South Korea are there. America has led. Many have
    joined. And America and the world are safer.
        My opponent takes a different approach.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He believes that instead of
    leading with confidence, America must submit to what he calls a ``global
    test.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I'm not making that up. [Laughter] I was standing
    right here when he said it. As far as I can
    tell, that means our country must get permission from foreign capitals
    before we act in our own defense.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. As President, I will always work with other
    countries. I will seek their advice. But there is a world of difference
    between working with good allies and giving a few reluctant nations veto
    power over our national security. I will never, never submit our
    national security decisions to veto of a foreign government.
        In addition to a ``global test,'' my opponent promises what
    he calls a ``golden age'' of diplomacy, to
    charm critical governments all over the world.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I don't see much diplomatic skill in Senator
    Kerry's habit of insulting America's closest
    friends. He's called the countries serving alongside us in Iraq, quote,
    ``a trumped up coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought, and the
    extorted.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Even last week, my opponent
    said that we have, quote, ``hardly anyone with us in Iraq.'' That is a
    deeply offensive way to treat some 30 nations that are in Iraq, and
    especially the 14 nations that have lost forces in our cause. How can
    Senator Kerry denigrate the contributions led by the likes of Tony
    Blair of Great Britain, John Howard of Australia, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland, and then expect other leaders to stand
    with America in the future? You cannot expand an alliance by showing
    contempt for those already in it. In this time of challenge to
    civilization, America has found strong and responsible allies, and they
    deserve the respect of all Americans, not the scorn of a politician.
        Fourth, I believe that America will gain long-term security by
    promoting freedom and hope and democracy in the broader Middle East. Our
    country needs to look ahead. And 20 years from now, if the Middle East
    is dominated by dictators and mullahs who build weapons of mass
    destruction and harbor terrorists, our children and grandchildren will
    live in a nightmare world of danger. That doesn't have to happen.
        By taking the side of reformers and democrats in the Middle East,
    we'll gain allies in the war on terror and isolate the ideology of
    murder and help defeat the despair and hopelessness that feeds terror.
    By

    [[Page 2703]]

    spreading freedom, by spreading liberty, the world will become a much
    safer place for future generations. Progress in the broader Middle East
    toward freedom will not come easily. Yet, that progress is coming faster
    than many would have said possible. Across a troubled region, we're
    seeing a movement toward elections, greater rights for women, and open
    discussion of peaceful reform. The election in Afghanistan this month
    and the election in Iraq next January will be counted as landmark events
    in the history of liberty.
        My opponent looks at things differently.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He's not only skeptical of
    democracy in Iraq; he has not made democracy a priority for his foreign
    policy. But what is his long-term answer to the threat of terror? Is he
    content to watch and wait as anger and resentment grow for more decades?
    Is he content to wait as more and more people are angry and hostile and
    turn to terrorism? Is he content to wait until radicals without
    conscience gain the weapons to kill without limit? Ignoring the root
    causes of terror, turning a blind eye to the oppression and despair of
    millions may be easier in the short run, but we learned on September the
    11th, if violence and fanaticism are not opposed at their source, they
    will find us where we live.
        Instead of offering his own agenda for
    freedom, my opponent complains that we are trying to, quote, ``impose
    democracy on the people of the broader Middle East.'' Is that what he
    sees in Afghanistan, unwilling people having democracy forced upon them?
    We did remove the Taliban by force, but democracy is rising in that
    country because the Afghan people, like people everywhere, want to live
    in freedom. No one forced them to register by the millions or to stand
    in long lines waiting to vote. For many people, that historic election
    was a day they will never forget. One man in western Kabul arrived to
    vote at 7 a.m. He said, ``I don't want''--he said, ``I didn't sleep all
    night. I wanted to be the first in my polling station.'' My fellow
    citizens, freedom is on the march, and it is changing the world.
        We are witnessing big and hopeful events. Yet, my opponent refuses to see them. I believe that people across the
    Middle East are weary of poverty and oppression. I believe everybody
    wants to be free. Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is
    the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        Our fifth great difference concerns the role of the Presidency. A
    President has to lead with consistency and strength. In a war, sometimes
    your tactics will change, but not your principles. Americans have seen
    how I do my job. Even when you might not agree with me, you know what I
    believe, where I stand, and what I intend to do. On good days and on bad
    days, whether the polls are up or down, I am determined to win the war
    on terror, and I will always support the men and women who do the
    fighting.
        My opponent has taken a different
    approach.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. It's fair to say that consistency has not been
    his strong point. [Laughter] Senator Kerry
    says that we are better off with Saddam Hussein out of power, except when he declares that removing
    Saddam made us less safe.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Senator Kerry stated in our
    second debate that he always believed that Saddam Hussein was a threat, except a few questions later, when he
    said Saddam Hussein was not a threat. [Laughter] He says he was right
    when he voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam Hussein, but
    that I was wrong to use force against Saddam Hussein. [Laughter] Now my
    opponent is throwing out the wild claim that he knows where bin
    Laden was in the fall of 2001--[laughter]--
    and that our military had a chance to get him in Tora

    [[Page 2704]]

    Bora. This is an unjustified and harsh criticism of our military
    commanders in the field. This is the worst kind of Monday morning
    quarterbacking, and it is what we've come to expect from Senator Kerry.
        In fact, our Commander in Afghanistan, General Tommy Franks recently wrote, quote, ``The Senator's understanding of events do not square with reality.'' He
    was talking about Tora Bora. The General says that American Special
    Forces were actively involved in the search of terrorists in Tora Bora
    and that intelligence reports at the time placed bin Laden in any of several countries.
        Before Senator Kerry got into political
    difficulty and revised his views, he saw Tora Bora differently. In the
    fall of 2001, on national TV, Senator Kerry said, quote, ``I think we
    have been doing this pretty effectively, and we should continue to do it
    that way.'' At the time, Senator Kerry said about Tora Bora, ``I think
    we've been smart. I think administration leadership has done well, and
    we are on the right track,'' end quote. All I can say is that I am
    George W. Bush, and I approve of that message.
        Yet, Senator Kerry's record on national
    security has a far deeper problem than election-year flip-flopping. On
    the largest national security issues of our time, he has been
    consistently and dangerously wrong. When Ronald Reagan was confronting
    the Soviet Union at the height of the cold war, Senator Kerry said that
    President Reagan's policy of peace through strength was making America
    less safe.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And he voted against many
    of the weapons systems critical to our defense buildup. History has
    shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and President Reagan was right.
        When former President Bush led a
    coalition against Saddam Hussein in 1991,
    Senator Kerry voted against the use of force
    to liberate Kuwait.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. If his view had prevailed,
    Saddam Hussein today would dominate the
    Middle East and possess the world's most dangerous weapons. History has
    shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and former President Bush was right.
        In 1994, just one year after the first bombing of the World Trade
    Center, Senator Kerry proposed massive cuts in
    America's intelligence budget----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. ----so massive that even his Massachusetts colleague,
    Ted Kennedy, opposed them. [Laughter]
    History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong
    and--we've got to be fair--[laughter]--Senator Kennedy was right.
        Just last year, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan needed $87
    billion for body armor, hazard pay, vehicles, weapons, and bullets.
    First, Senator Kerry said, ``It would
    irresponsible to vote against the troops.'' Then he voted against the
    troops.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Then he said, ``I actually
    did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter]
    History has shown that Senator Kerry was right, then wrong--[laughter]--
    then briefly right--[laughter]--then wrong again. [Laughter]
        Since then, the Senator has said the whole
    matter about the $87 billion is a complicated matter. There's nothing
    complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision
    for America, Senator Kerry has chosen the
    position of weakness and inaction. With that record, he stands in
    opposition not just to me but to the great tradition of the Democratic
    Party. The party of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and John Kennedy
    is rightly remembered for confidence and resolve in times of war and in
    hours of crisis. Senator Kerry has turned his back on ``pay any price''
    and ``bear any burden.'' And he has replaced those commitments with
    ``wait and see'' and ``cut and run.''

    [[Page 2705]]

        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Many Democrats in this country do not recognize their
    party anymore. Today I want to speak to every one of them: If you
    believe that America should lead with strength and purpose and
    confidence in our ideals, I would be honored to have your support, and I
    ask for your vote.
        All the differences I outlined today add up to one big difference:
    Senator Kerry says that September the 11th did
    not change him much at all.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And his policies make that clear. He says the war on terror is primarily a law enforcement and
    intelligence gathering operation. His top foreign policy adviser says,
    ``The war is just a metaphor, like the war on poverty.'' The Senator's
    goal is to go back to the mindset of the 1990s, when terrorism was seen
    as a nuisance, and we fought with subpoenas and a few cruise missiles.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. There is a major problem with that. The era of calm
    he longs for was only a shallow illusion of
    peace. We know that throughout the 1990s, the terrorists were training
    and plotting against us. They saw our complacency as weakness. And so
    their plans became more ambitious and their attacks more deadly, until,
    finally, the Twin Towers became Ground Zero and the Pentagon was in
    flames. My outlook was changed on September the 11th.
        A few days after the attacks, I stood with Rudy where the buildings fell. He'll never forget that day, and
    neither will I. I'll never forget the evil of the enemy and the
    suffering of our people. I know we're not fighting a metaphor. And I
    remember the hard--workers in hardhats there yelling at the top of their
    lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' A fellow grabbed me by the arm, and he
    said, ``Do not let me down.'' From that day forward, I have gotten up
    every morning thinking about how to better protect our country. I will
    never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
        In a new term, we will finish the work we have started. We will
    stand against terror. We will stand for freedom and peace. And on
    November 2d, my fellow Americans, I ask you stand with me.
        God bless. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:14 a.m. at the Island Grove Regional
    Park Community Events Center. In his remarks, he referred to former
    Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, and his wife, Judith; Gov.
    Bill Owens and Lt. Gov. Jane Bergman Norton of Colorado; Marilyn Coors,
    wife of Colorado senatorial candidate Pete Coors; Steven E. Musgrave,
    husband of Representative Marilyn N. Musgrave; former Representative Bob
    Schaffer, senatorial candidate in Colorado; professional baseball player
    Todd Helton and his wife, Christy; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the
    United Kingdom; Prime Minister John Howard of Australia; Prime Minister
    Silvio Berlusconi of Italy; President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland;
    Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; and Gen.
    Tommy R. Franks, USA (Ret.), former combatant commander, U.S. Central
    Command.